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ABUJA, Jan 30: The United Nations should consider sanctions against Sudan for gross violations of human rights in Darfur, Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Sunday.
"Serious violations of international humanitarian law, and gross violations of human rights have taken place. This cannot be allowed to stand and action will have to be taken," Mr Annan told a press briefing during an African Union summit in Nigeria.
"The Security Council had considered sanctions and had not been able to move forward because of some divisions in the council, but I believe that sanctions should still be on the table," he said.
Mr Annan has received a key UN report detailing abuses in the vast desert region where 1.8 million people have been forced from their homes, but he declined to say whether the world body would, like Washington, describe the conflict as genocide. The report would be made public after it is presented to the Security Council shortly, Annan said.
BOMBING RAID: Diplomats expect the UN Darfur report to give details on crimes against humanity, possibly give a list of suspects and recommend Security Council action.
On Friday, a UN spokeswoman said the Sudanese airforce launched a bombing raid on Wednesday in which about 100 people were killed and 9,000 displaced. The government then prevented AU monitors from investigating, an AU source said.
The African Union has sent about 1,000 monitors to log ceasefire violations in the region the size of France, but their mandate does not include peacekeeping. Mr Annan said the force would reach 3,000 by February.
One of the main rebel groups on Sunday asked the summit to send AU troops to disarm the militias. But an AU peace negotiator said AU troops have not been given such a mandate. -Reuters
